Work and non-work-related vehicle crashes: The contribution of risky driving practices

Abstract

BackgroundThis study compared the characteristics of non-work and work-related crashes using linked population data on police-reported road crashes and hospital admission records in order to shed new light on the contribution of risky driving behaviour. MethodA retrospective analysis was conducted of vehicle crashes involving injured car drivers and motorcyclists identified in linked police-reported and hospitalisation records during 1 January 2001–31 December 2011 in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Working status was identified from hospitalisation records. Univariate and multiple variable logistic regression was conducted. ResultsThere were 38,240 car drivers and motorcyclists identified, of which 10.2% were travelling for work-related purposes. For car drivers, work-related crashes were less likely to involve alcohol (OR 0.17; 95%CI 0.13–0.22) or fatigue (OR 0.80; 95%CI 0.69–0.93), occur at an intersection, or involve a dry road, but were more likely to have worn a seat belt (OR 1.66; 95%CI 1.06–2.58), occur in a metropolitan area and at speeds greater than 50km/h than non-work-related crashes. For motorcyclists, work-related crashes were less likely to involve alcohol (OR 0.12; 95%CI 0.07–0.21) or excessive speed (OR 0.68; 95%CI 0.55–0.85), occur on a curved section of roadway, involve a dry road, or occur on roadways with speed limits of between 100 and 110km/h, but operators were more likely to have worn a helmet (OR 2.40; 95%CI 1.24–4.66), and crashes were more likely to have occurred in a metropolitan area, than non-work-related crashes. ConclusionAlcohol, fatigue and speed are less likely to be involved in work-related vehicle crashes compared to non-work-related crashes. Individuals injured while driving for work purposes were more likely to engage in safety promoting behaviours, such as wearing a seat belt or a motorcycle helmet, compared to individuals not driving for work purposes. It appears that there could be a higher motivation to conform to safe driving behaviours for individuals while driving for work.